Chinese equities markets returned from the lunar new year with a bang as an index of large cap stocks climbed to the highest level in almost four months despite concerns stemming from weak consumption readings over the long holiday and simmering US-China trade tensions.
After a weak start, the CSI 300 index of major Shanghai and Shenzhen-listed stocks gained upward momentum in afternoon trading to rise as much as 1.6 per cent on Monday to its highest intraday level since October. Both the Shanghai and Shenzhen exchanges were closed for the entirety of last week.
That climb easily outpaced Hong Kong’s Hang Seng China Enterprises index of mainland Chinese companies and the broader Hang Seng index, both up 0.5 per cent. Stocks in Hong Kong returned from the lunar new year break on Friday.